Biased return coding drum

ABSTRACT

A printing drum is rotatably mounted on a shaft so that it will roll on the surface of a parcel to imprint data thereon. The shaft carries a face cam capable only of sliding movement therealong, the cam having a high point from which at each side there is a gradual decline to a low point where there is a slight depression; a follower carried by the drum to move therewith, normally rests in said depression when the drum is not rotating, the drum being held stationary by compression coil spring about the stationary shaft which biases the cam to maintain contact with the follower, and also biasing the drum to normal rest position when it has been rotated by a parcel and subsequently the contact between drum surface and parcel has been terminated.

United States Patent [191 Delligatti *May 7, 1974 BIASED RETURN CODING DRUM Primary Examiner-Robert E. Pulfrey Assistant Examiner-Clifford D. Crowder 76 I t P t k Dell tti 883 E. 39th St., 1 men or 3 22 1,4301 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Gardiner, Srxbey, Bradford & Carlson Notice: The portion of the term of this patent subsequent to May 7, 1990, [57,] ABSTRACT has been disclaimed.

A printing drum is rotatably mounted on a shaft so [22] Fled: 1968 that it will roll on the surface of a parcel to imprint [21] Appl. No.: 778,697 data thereon. The shaft carries a face cam capable only of sliding movement therealong, the cam having a high point from which at each side there is a gradual [52] U.S. Cl. l0ll3gallfoil73gg decline to a low point where there is a slight depres 3 5 S on; a f lo e ar e e drum t move e e Fleld of earc 7 no ma ly r st n said epression hen the drum is not rotating, the drum being held stationary by com- [56] References Clted pression coil spring about the stationary shaft which UNITED STATES PATENTS biases the cam to maintain contact with the follower, 349,037 9/1886 Green 101/152 and also biasing the drum to normal rest position 1,519,544 /1924 M clndoe 101/178 when it has been rotated by a parcel and subsequently 2,775,192 12/ 1956 y--- 101/ 35 the contact between drum surface and parcel has been 3,02l,783 2/l962 Casey i 101/35 terminated 3,086,46l 4/1963 Gill 101/35 X 5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1 BIASED RETURN CODING DRUM The present invention relates to marking devices for parcels on a moving conveyor, and more particularly to the type having a printing roller spring-biased to enter in part between parcels so that upon passage of a parcel, it will shift the printing roller which will then contact, roll on and mark a surface of the parcel which is parallel to the line of movement of the conveyor.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved marking device of the character mentioned, which will always commence marking at a prescribed distance from that end of the parcel, which first meets the printing roller. In the usual run, the parcels are of uniform size and similarly positioned on the conveyor, hence with my new device it is possible to have the printing centered or in a predetermined position thereon in relation to other markings uniformly appearing on said parcels.

Still another object thereof is to provide a marking device of the kind described and having the attributes mentioned, which is reasonable in cost, automatic in action and efficient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

For one practice of this invention, the marking device as herein illustrated, comprises an arm swingably mounted on a post shaft which is fixed to the conveyor frame in front of the parcel surface to be marked. Said arm carries a rotatably mounted printing drum on an upright fixed shaft, and an inking roller so that the printing drum may roll on the parcel surface to be marked thereby. Said arm is spring biased to move so that the printing drum will enter between spaced parcels on the conveyor as the latter moves in the direction from said post to the printing drum. Said stationary shaft carries a face cam 32, capable only of sliding movement therealong. Said cam has a high point from which at each side there is a gradual decline to a diametrically opposite low point where there is a slight depression in the cam face. A cam follower carried by the printing drum to move therewith, normally rests in said depression when the drum is away from a parcel. The face of said cam is its upward one. A compression coil spring encompassing said stationary shaft, biases the cam upwardly to maintain contact with said follower, and also biases the drum to normal rest position.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing a marking device embodying the teachings of this invention, in association with a conveyor transporting parcels to be marked. This view is fragmentary.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the marking device, with part of the drum wall broken away to show the cam and its follower. Here, the device is in normal rest condition. The cam follower is within the depression at the lowest point on the cam face.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of the printing drum which is shown partly broken away, thereby exposing the cam and its follower; the latter being at the high point on the cam face; the cam having been pushed down on the stationary shaft, thereby increasing the stress in the spring biasing the cam.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged central sectional view of' the printing drum, taken at line 4-4 in FIG. 1. Also included, are fragments of associated components.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cam.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cam follower.

In the drawing, the numeral 15 designates generally a marking device comprising an arm plate 16 which carries at one of its ends, the revolvably mounted printing drum denoted generally by the numeral 17, and at its other end, it is swingably mounted on a fixed post 18 which is on the frame 19' of the conveyor 19 carrying packages 20 which has been marked, and 21 which is to be marked. This arm plate extends in the general direction of the conveyors movement and is springbiased by the stressed tension coil spring 22, to bring the printing drum 17 into the space between packages, so that in passing, each package will be marked with the printing characters 23. Stop means not shown, are provided to limit the extent to which the arm plate will move, and thus limit the distance the printing drum will pass the front plane of the packages. Said arm frame 16 which is a plate, also carries an inking roller 26, in rolling pressing contact with the print characters 23, which are brought thereto when the printing drum 17 turns! In the embodiment shown, the print characters or type elements are between two rubber rings 27, which are mounted as tires on the printing drum. It is evident that when said drum is between two packages, it will extend behind the front plane of such parcels, but as soon as said printing drum contacts a package, it will roll spring-pressed against the front face of such package, due to the frictional engagement of said rings 27 with said package face. The length of the package being greater than the circumference of the printing drum 17, it is evident that the face of said package will have imprinted thereon all insignia offered by the printing drums type-carrying rubber sleeve 23'.

The printing drum l7, equipped with ball bearings 28,28 in its end plates 29,29 is rotatable on the fixed stud shaft 30, which is held fast to the arm plate 16 by a screw 31, which when tight, spreads a bit the slitted end of said stud. Said stud shaft may be released for a.

turn adjustment and set in place by manipulation of said screw. Within the hollow of said printing drum, said stud shaft carries a face cam indicated generally by the numeral 32, which is keyed thereto by a pin through diametrically opposite slots. Only one of such slots in the hub of said cam is shown at 33, and the engaging pin therefor, fixed in said stud, is indicated as 34. This arrangement permits the cam 32, only to slide along said stud shaft 30. The numeral 35 denotes the roller of a cam follower 36, which is on an axis pin held fast to the drum wall. This roller bears against the action face 32 of the cam, and a compression coil spring 36 encompassing said stud shaft, biases the cam to contact its follower, as one of its functions. The action face of the cam is slanted with respect to the cam s axis, whereby there is a high point 37, from which at each side there is a gradual decline 38,38, to a diametrically opposite low point where there is a slight depression 39 in the cam surface, into which the follower can come. In fact, the normal rest position for the follower, is in such depression, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

The packages are set onto the conveyor 19, so their faces to be marked are in a plane L. The drum 17 is set so that the first point contacted by the advancing edge E of the oncoming package 21, will be the proper start for the turning of the drum so that the first character of the type 23 to contact the package will be a prescribed distance from said edge E. This is done by test, and adjustment of the stud shaft 30, which can be turned to proper position by loosening the screw 31 and then turning the knob 40 on said shaft, which is then secured by tightening said screw. The spring 22 is adjusted by turning the knob 41, to have suitable tension to bias the plate 16 so the printing drum 17 will tend to cross the plane L. As the package 21 progresses to the left, the friction tires contacting the packages front surface, will cause the printing drum to turn until the package passes it, whereupon said drum will be shifted by action of the spring 22 into the path of the nect oncoming package. The normal rest position of the follower roller 35 is in the depression 39 at the low point of the cam face 32'. During the forced turning of said drum 17, said follower 35 will ride on the cam face and'thereby the cam 32 will be pushed downward on the stud shaft 30, thereby further stressing the spring 36. As soon as the package has passed the printing drum 17, the said spring 36 will push the cam 32 upwards, thereby causing the printing drum to automatically turn until the follower 35 comes into the depression 39 where it stays, ready for the next marking operation. Said spring 36 is strong enough to accomplish such return movement to normal rest position of the printing drum, but the action of traction of the tires 27 on a'package is strong enough to overcome the action of the spring 36, while the tires contact a package. The inking roller 26 is positioned on the arm plate 16 at a selected point along the slot 42, to properly bear against the type characters 23 which are on a rubber sleeve 23 mounted on the printing drum.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed; It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiment shown herein shall be deemed merely illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specific showing and description herein, to indicate the scope of this invention.

1 claim: I

1. A device for marking parcels moving at spaced intervals along a conveying line or the like, said device comprising a support, an arm mounted on said support having one end positioned for swingable movement into and out of the path of movement of said articles on said conveying line, an article-imprinting assembly mounted on the swinging end of said arm, said imprinting assembly comprising a shaft projectingfrom said arm perpendicular thereto; a hollow cylindrical drum mounted on and rotatable about saidshaft, means on the exterior surface of the drum for imprinting articles encountered by said surface; further means on said surface for frictionally contacting the articles to rotate the drum from a given null position through at least suffcient angular rotation to imprint the article and means to automatically return the drum to the null position after the article has passed, said means comprising a cam follower fixed to the drum and projecting diametrically inwardly toward said perpendicular shaft, a sleeve-like member mounted on the shaft and having an end surface defining a cam surface with a maximum upper and minimum lower point defining the null position of said drum and having an oppositely facing annular land surface, a coil spring surrounding the shaft and having one end bearing against the annular land surface and its opposite end bearing against an end of the drum adjacent said swingable arm and means between said shaft and said sleeve for preventing rotation of said sleeve on said shaft, said cam follower contacting said cam surface at said null position when said drum is not being rotated by an article whereby as said drum is rotated by an article said sleeve is moved axially against the bias of said spring by said cam follower and when the exterior of the drum is out of contact with an article, the spring bias moves said sleeve axially in a direction opposite to the first direction of movement to cause the drum to rotate back to its null position with the cam follower at the minimum low point of the cam surface.

2. A marking device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for preventing movement of said collar relative to said perpendicular shaft comprises a pin projecting outwardly from said shaft and an axially disposed slot in said sleeve and receiving said outwardly projecting pin.

3. A marking device as defined in claim 1 wherein said cam, at its minimum low point, has a shallow, groove adapted to receive said follower therein.

4. A marking device as defined in claim 1 wherein said support arm carries inking means thereon for inking the printing means carried on the outer surface of said drum.

, 5. A marking device as defined in claim 4 wherein said support arm is biased toward the path of movement of the articles on said conveyor. 

1. A device for marking parcels moving at spaced intervals along a conveying line or the like, said device comprising a support, an arm mounted on said support having one end positioned for swingable movement into and out of the path of movement of said articles on said conveying line, an article-imprinting assembly mounted on the swinging end of said arm, said imprinting assembly comprising a shaft projecting from said arm perpendicular thereto; a hollow cylindrical drum mounted on and rotatable about said shaft, means on the exterior surface of the drum for imprinting articles encountered by said surface; further means on said surface for frictionally contacting the articles to rotate the drum from a given null position through at least sufficient angular rotation to imprint the article and means to automatically return the drum to the null position after the article has passed, said means comprising a cam follower fixed to the drum and projecting diametrically inwardly toward said perpendicular shaft, a sleeve-like member mounted on the shaft and having an end surface defining a cam surface with a maximum upper and minimum lower point defining the null position of said drum and having an oppositely facing annular land surface, a coil spring surrounding the shaft and having one end bearing against the annular land surface and its opposite end bearing against an end of the drum adjacent saiD swingable arm and means between said shaft and said sleeve for preventing rotation of said sleeve on said shaft, said cam follower contacting said cam surface at said null position when said drum is not being rotated by an article whereby as said drum is rotated by an article said sleeve is moved axially against the bias of said spring by said cam follower and when the exterior of the drum is out of contact with an article, the spring bias moves said sleeve axially in a direction opposite to the first direction of movement to cause the drum to rotate back to its null position with the cam follower at the minimum low point of the cam surface.
 2. A marking device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for preventing movement of said collar relative to said perpendicular shaft comprises a pin projecting outwardly from said shaft and an axially disposed slot in said sleeve and receiving said outwardly projecting pin.
 3. A marking device as defined in claim 1 wherein said cam, at its minimum low point, has a shallow, groove adapted to receive said follower therein.
 4. A marking device as defined in claim 1 wherein said support arm carries inking means thereon for inking the printing means carried on the outer surface of said drum.
 5. A marking device as defined in claim 4 wherein said support arm is biased toward the path of movement of the articles on said conveyor. 